The Best Ways To Protect Your Hair Whilst Sleeping

When the time comes for the sun to set and it's time to perform your ritual night time routine, make sure you don't neglect your hair - today's blog is all about knowing the best ways to protect your hair whilst sleeping.

Apart from getting an expert recommended amount of sleep of 7 to 9 hours, removing the day from your face and revitalising it with good skincare products your hair isn't something to be missed, especially if you suffer from dry/damaged hair or even hair loss. We know no doubt when you hear the reference "night time routine" you instantly think of skincare and that's because we often forget all about our hair and that it's a living thing that needs time to restore itself whilst we sleep - it's not just our skin. However, a night time haircare routine doesn't have to involved multiple steps and millions of products, looking after your hair whilst sleeping is actually really simple and can be done in a few steps. Whether that's from incorporating an overnight hair mask or sleeping with your hair in a loose braid, we've got tips for you to make sleeping easy and waking up with beautiful hair.

Invest in a silk pillowcase! We cannot stress this golden rule enough - total game changer! Replace your cotton pillowcase for silk and let your hair and skin reap the benefits that comes from slumber on silk. We understand trading in cotton for silk can be quite the investment however how can you put a price on healthy, bright skin and hair free of friction and damage. Silk is a much gentler fabric compared to cotton because the small fibres found in silk pillows will prevent your hair from excessive damage such as pulling - we're looking at you tossing and turners. Like we said, it's not just your hair that will reap benefits, it's your skin also. Silk pillowcases won't absorb as much as product as what cotton does, so the precious money you spent on skincare actually stays on your face and half of it isn't lost to your pillowcase - the same rule applies for any hair care you use before heading to bed. 

Although it may seem totally harmless, sleeping with your hair tied up into a messy bun or ponytail it's actually detrimental to your hair's health. Think of several hours of tension from having your hair up putting a strain on your scalp (which happens to be incredibly sensitive) and can lead to eventual serious damage for your hair. We can empathise with wanting your hair away from your face when you're asleep but instead of tying your hair UP, try tying your hair DOWN in a loose braid as this will cause a lot less strain on your hair. Double tip: use silk scrunchies or elastics to tie your hair back. ABSOLUTELY avoid anything with metal plating as this will cause you some serious split ends, yikes! Also not to mention, sleeping with your hair in a braid could lead to some serious killer heatless waves which is a win in itself because excessive heated tools can cause your hair a lot of harm.

Now that you know the ideal way of tying your hair whilst you sleep, invest further in accessories to help you tie your hair. Instead of using small hair elastics, especially ones with metal plating, use fabric scrunchies or silk scrunchies to tie your hair when sleeping. Scrunchies are way less harmful to your hair and will hold your braid without pulling out any individual hairs like your normal hair elastics would do.

Ever heard of the myth that brushing your hair 100 times a day will promote shine and length? Although we may not have put this myth truly to the test, brushing your hair throughout the day and frequently is actually really beneficial to your hair. When you're brushing your hair, be sure to start from your ends and work your way up because if you come across a knot you don't want to tug on your scalp and cause any trauma to such a sensitive area. We recommend a paddle brush to battle any tangles before bed as it covers more area quickly. However if you want shine more than anything, use a boar bristle brush because this type of brush is well known for evenly distributing natural oils from your scalp into and throughout your hair.

Understandably, washing your hair at night and then sleeping with it wet sounds like a time saver but it's vital you know that your hair is at its most vulnerable state when it's wet. This means your hair should be dry before going to bed to prevent tugging and any severe damage that could happen whilst you sleep. If you're someone that prefers to wash your hair at night, give yourself an extra hour or two to allow for your hair to air dry or mindfully use a blow dryer to help speed along the process and avoid frizz. If you're going to use a blow dryer, make sure you're using a heat protectant to combat damages that can occur from using heated styling tools.

If you're a hair lover like us, we get how important it is to incorporate masks and treatments into your haircare routine. Taking advantage of the downtime that's happening when you're sleeping is king so use that time to apply a hair mask before bed and using the hair mask as an intensive overnight treatment to hydrate and repair your hair. Depending on your hair type, we recommend applying a hair mask once or twice a month. However, finding the perfect treatment for your hair can be a lot of trial and error, once you find the one for you, you will notice a huge change in the overall health and appearance in your hair. 

This may sound boujee, but take your beauty sleep to the absolute next level and sleep with satin head scarf wrapped around your delicate tendrils. Just like a silk pillowcase, sleeping with your hair in a satin head scarf will protect your hair and maintain your hairstyle from the day before. Avoid the inevitable "bed head" frizz and sleep with your hair in a satin head scarf.

Don't ignore the health of your scalp, no matter how silly it sounds. The strength, shine and length of your hair starts from a healthy scalp. Give your scalp an extra shot of TLC and end your night time haircare routine with a 2-5 minute scalp massage. It's really simple, leave your hair down and use your fingers to gently massage the roots in circular motions, just like you do when you're shampooing your hair. Don't want to do it? Ask your partner ;) Massaging your scalp stimulates blood circulation and this encourages your hair to grow. 

This of course doesn't apply to you if you have permanent hair extensions in but we're talking to those who use clip in's, halo's or ponytail hair extensions. Even though the mentioned hair extensions will cause zero damage to your hair throughout the day, sleeping with them in can be seriously detrimental to your hair. Sleeping with hair extensions in can cause excessive tangling which can be damaging to not only your hair but your extensions also. 

And there you have it, knowing the few simple steps you can add into your night time haircare routine can save your precious locks from irreversible damage and also prevent future damage. By taking the few extra measures and minutes to incorporate any of the steps we mentioned above will bring your hair a world of goodness filled with healthy, shiny locks. With that being said, don't feel as if you need to do every single step above, but pick ones that fit into your night time routine and stick to it.